Scrap Leadership

To get in contact with someone from leadership, please e-mail mongo@scrapexchange.org.

A man with a beard and brown hair smiling while standing in front of various blue-colored objects and décor on a blue wall.

Mitch Sava (h/h)

Executive Director

A woman with tattoos, glasses, and a smile, sitting on a table with her legs crossed in a creative workspace decorated with animal plush toys, art supplies, and a picture of wild cats behind her.

Molly Coleman (s/h)
Retail & Sales Manager

A young woman with medium-length brown hair, glasses with tortoiseshell frames, and a nose stud, smiling outdoors in front of a wooden fence painted gray.

Charlotte Young (s/h)

Finance Manager

Close-up of a woman with red hair and glasses, wearing a black shirt, smiling, with a blue wall with writing behind her.

Candace Burch (s/h)

Volunteer Coordinator

A woman wearing a yellow hat and a colorful plaid shirt in a store aisle with various products and a 'Caution: Not a Toy' sign.

Liz Yount (s/h)

Processing Manager

A woman with tattoos, glasses, and long brown hair smiling outdoors while sitting on a colorful chair in a garden or farm setting, with green plants and yellow containers around.

Ava Hardy (s/h)

Programs & Outreach Manager

A woman with brown hair and tattoos on her arms inside a vehicle with a window showing a blue sky with clouds.

Sarah Schmader (s/h)

Deputy Director of Mission & Engagement

Close-up of a woman's face with brown eyes and short dark hair, wearing red glasses on her forehead, with a backdrop of books and colorful posters.

Tamara Galiano (s/h)

Artist Market & Gallery Manager

A man with a bald head and light skin, wearing a colorful geometric patterned shirt, is smiling and standing outdoors with green leafy plants in the background.

Tyler Dennis (h/h)

Reuse Arts District & Office Manager

A man with glasses and a hat standing in front of a large pile of discarded household items outdoors, next to a white brick building wall.
A plush toy resembling a cartoon-style white tiger with gray stripes, large green eyes, a smiling face, and green paws, set against a solid blue background.

Daniel Bagnell (h/h)

Design & Events Coordinator

Emily Lumpkin (s/h)

HR Manager

A plush blue ball with googly eyes, a red pipe cleaner smiling mouth, and red yarn dangling from either side, set against a blue background.

Mongo Scrap (t/t)

Mascot / Good Vibes

A group of diverse people gathered under a covered area near a wall with graffiti art that says "BORN FREE". They are smiling, holding drinks, and some are making peace signs.
A puppet with a sock for a face, googly eyes, a red tongue, and a gray sock sleeve as a hand, set against a blue background.

Wrongo Scrap (h/h)

Mongo’s Nemesis / Bad Vibes

Retail, Program, & Processing Coordinators
Cay Bappe (s/h) Anthony Bullock (h/h)Jackie Calles (s/h), Ivy Crist (s/h), Isabella Davis (s/h), Sylvie Feltus-Jarrell (s/h), Hema Gaia (t/t), Nicole Hogan (s/h), Aaron Pankey (h/h), Chesnea Perry (s/h), CJ Rainey (h/h), Liz Underwood (s/h), Ivy Woods (s/h)

Board of Directors

Tom Dawson (h/h), Chair

My story with The Scrap Exchange began about two decades ago, when I was an enthusiastic shopper. Since about 2015, I’ve become increasingly involved as an Iron Crafter and artist. I occasionally MC Smashfest and always try to build special smash art to support the show. I served as the resident Scrap artist building gates, installing art, trees and other special features on campus. I’ve also made bike racks which were built at the Scrap and then installed at Geer Street Garden, Cocoa Cinnamon and other Durham spots. I joined the board in 2023. My teenager worked on the Blue Team recently and was a proud Scrappy Scout. When I’m not at Scrap, I’m a landscape architect developing parks for the City of Raleigh. My Scrappiest quality: finding big-scale treasure. 

Katie Hunt (s/h), Vice Chair

As the Durham newbie on this board, I arrived in 2023 to work for the City of Durham on waste diversion, environmental equity and green workforce development. My nonprofit experience includes Utahns Against Hunger (as community organizer) and the International Environmental Communication Association (where I was interim executive director). No wonder I quickly found this delightful Scrap Exchange community! The Scrap’s used book section is easily the best in the Triangle. The treasures I find at Scrap often end up in my collage, papercraft or bullet journaling projects. I also enjoy cooking and making bread. My family includes a rescue dog named Poppyseed Muffin and two cats, Loki (in my photo) and Luna. My Scrappiest quality: I heart reuse.

Phil Azar (h/h)
Durham has been my home for 20 years. My favorite Scrap spot is the donations intake side—the heart of operations, where the unglamorous magic happens. I joined the board in 2025—eight months, two weeks, eight hours, three seconds ago (give or take) and counting! When I’m not at Scrap, you might find me practicing my juggling (poor), studying languages (pretty much the same), or meditating or walking with my dog PD, the wonder Pandemic Dog. Prior volunteer experience:  Durham Habitat ReStore board (back when it was a separate Habitat affiliate on Shannon Road) and various positions at the main Habitat affiliate, from volunteer to assistant director for programs (where I helped set up the current ReStore).  I was also briefly the executive director of Clean Energy Durham and have participated in the Southwest Central Durham Quality of Life and Pauli Murray steering committees.  I currently participate in the Duke Affordable Housing Council. My Scrappiest quality: pastiche. 

Danelle McDonald (s/h)

You might say I needed to leave Durham, where I was raised, in order to come back—to The Scrap Exchange! As an artist who loves to create with mixed media, I often shop in the paper and fabric collections at Scrap. I joined the board in 2025 because of Scrap’s commitment to supporting the community. When I am not at The Scrap Exchange, I am caregiving for my mother with my dog Shayla as a care partner and/or spending time with my daughter. My Scrappiest quality:  resourcefulness.

Nola Paterni (s/h), Acting Secretary

The Scrap Exchange–there’s really no place like it! As a maker of miniature dioramas, I’ve found a goldmine of materials at Scrap—a tiny plastic wolf, shimmery gold thread, a moon-shaped bead. Every visit fuels a new story in miniature (so it would follow that The Yellow House Gallery is my favorite place at Scrap). And don’t get me started on costumes and all the inspiration I’ve found at Scrap (so many costumes, so little closet space)! When I’m not looking for tiny objects or hunting costume pieces, I’m doing the non-profit comms thing. I joined the board in late 2024 and am excited to help ensure the Scrap can thrive long into the future. See you at SmashFest? (It’s the second best day of the year next to Halloween!) My Scrappiest quality: making art, not trash.

Whitney Stanley (s/h)

A born and raised Durham friend introduced me to The Scrap Exchange in 2016, and I felt at home right away. I am a visual artist and attorney whose “artist at law” practice supports arts organizations, cultural workers and community builders. I also teach arts administration and art law, which keeps me connected to emerging creatives.

I joined The Scrap Exchange board in 2023 and I am also a member of the Duke Regional Hospital Board. My commitment to community also includes the Durham Art Guild, Triangle ArtWorks and the Beehive Collective, where I have volunteered my service in the past. At Scrap, I value the chance to support an organization that turns donated materials into community possibility. I share my home with my dog Peppermint, who looks like a very small old man, and I am known to mail my perfected banana bread across the country. My Scrappiest quality: a love of solving problems and putting solutions into action.